The Creator's Mistake
by HW1999
Summary: Heather wakes up in a cold metal box remembering nothing but her name. She arrives at the Glade and is given a hands-on experience of life outside the maze. Then, someone comes up out of the box that she didn't expect to see ever again. NewtxOC. based off book one of The Maze Runner Trilogy. Re-worked, plot changed, 4 chapters added. (Last updated 2014)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - The Glade

Disclaimer: I don't own The Maze Runner, any of the character, plot, ect. However, the OC character in this story is owned by me. Hope y'all enjoy!

I sat with my back against what felt like cold metal, in a dark empty elevator. I kept my eyes closed as the elevator ascended upward.

_Heather._

The name kept flashing across my mind. It was the only thing I could remember. I sat with head between my knees for what felt like years in the darkness, until I saw a bright red light at the top of the shaft I was in. I stood up, mesmerized by the light as it continued moved closer and closer. The box came to a sudden stop throwing me to the ground. I let out a groan as I pushed myself off the ground. A blinding light filled the box and laughter followed it.

"Holy…" a deep voice started before trailing off, "I don't shunkin' believe it."

"What is it, Alby?" asked an accented voice as a second silhouette appeared at the top of the box, "Bloody hell. It's a girl."

"A girl?"

"Is she pretty?"

"Bet she's prettier than you, ya klunk-face."

The two boys jumped down into the box. I put my head between my knees.

_This isn't real, I'm going to wake up any second and this will have just been a dream._

I felt like I was going to be sick. A large hand patted me on the shoulder and I looked up to see that it belonged to a strong dark-skinned boy.

He looked down at me as he spoke. "Welcome to The Glade, Greenie. I hope you like it here 'cause there ain't no way back."

My insides began to churn as the severity of the words began to set in. I felt bile rise in my throat and I turned to my right, throwing up food that I didn't remember eating.

I heard some laughs and an, "Ew, dude that's a load of klunk."

I looked up when I was finished gagging to see a pair of shoes covered in what had just been in my stomach. I winced as I slowly followed the legs up to reveal a tall, muscular boy with disheveled blonde hair and a grimace on his face.

I looked down as he spoke. "What the hell you slinthead." I could feel my face burn with embarrassment and my eyes well with tears. "Why'd you have to go and say that? The poor thing looks terrified."

I looked up with tears in my eyes. The blonde wasn't angry with me, his comment was directed toward the dark-skinned boy.

"I don't give a klunk if she's a girl, everyone gets the same welcome, no matter what," he replied with a frown.

"So? Doesn't do any of them any good to have those be the first words they ever hear? You made Chuck klunk his pants last month remember?"

_Klunk? Slinthead? Chuck? Who were these people and what kind of words were they speaking?_

"I don't care. It's been that way since the very beginning and we aren't about to change it now." The dark-skinned boy's frown had become a scowl as his eyes narrowed.

"Alright, Alby. Just consider it, you shank," said the blonde, patting him on the shoulder.

Their entire conversation I sat still with my head pressed up against the hard metal wall looking up at the sky, trying to hold in the tears that begged to fall from my eyes.

I didn't realize that the bickering had stopped until I felt two hands on each of my shoulders hauling me to a standing position and then pulling me up out of the room I had been in. I didn't try to fight them but I didn't help either, I was too tired, too confused.

They sat me down on the lush green grass and I began to take everything in with wide eyes. I had just been hauled from a small black box. At least fifty boys, ranging from their early teens to around eighteen, like the dark-skinned boy that had pulled me from the box, surrounded me. I looked at each face but I didn't recognize anyone. I felt a knot forming in my throat making it hard to breathe and the tears once again began to well behind my eyelids which were squeezed tightly shut.

I felt someone pat my shoulder awkwardly and I looked up at them through the tears that had finally spilled onto my cheeks. It was the blonde boy that I had thrown up on. "Hey Greenie, it's gonna be alright. Just calm down, it's normal to not remember anything." He spoke with a British accent.

_How was it normal to not remember anything? Does that mean that they don't remember anything either?_

A different boy crouched down in front of me. He looked about 17, had short dark brown hair, green eyes and the nose the size of a small potato, "Remember anything Greenie?" I shook my head and looked away biting my lip, embarrassed by the tears on my face. "How about a name?"

I thought back to my trip in the box. _Heather._

"My name's Heather," I looked over at the blonde boy who nodded in approval. They were the first words I had ever spoken, as far as I could remember, and the voice that came from my lips sounded foreign to me.

The boy crouching in front of me extended a large hand toward me which I grasped as he pulled me to my feet. "I'm Gally. Welcome to The Glade." (P.S. Gally is 17 in my fanfiction, not 15-16 like in The Maze Runner and his description is based off the book not movie.)

\- Page Break -

The crowd has dispersed after Gally had commanded that they give me some space and walking away himself. I looked around to see that the blonde was pulling off his shoes and socks with a grimace on his face. "Sorry," I said while scratching the back of my neck and looking down at my own shoes.

"Eh, it's not your fault. The bloody shank shouldn't have scared ya like that. The name's Newt." he extended a hand, he had a cute accent that I hadn't heard any of the other Gladers use.

I looked down at the extended hand, it, no doubt, still had some throw up on it, "Thanks, Newt, but I, uh, would rather keep the remainder of my breakfast _in_ my stomach."

He let out a chuckle. "Good that."

Just then the dark-skinned boy put his hand on Newt's shoulder. They had a quick whispered conversation, their eyes staying on me the entire time.

"Greenie," he began, addressing me, "I'm Alby, leader of the Gladers. The Gladers being the people who live in the Glade." I let the confused expression fall from my face. "Normally, I would give you a tour but I have some, uh, important stuff to do right now," as he spoke a horrific shriek echoed across the glade, causing me to wince, "so Newt will show you around the Glade and you'll get the full tour first thing tomorrow. Sound good to you?"

I nodded but didn't speak, I was still afraid of Alby from our first encounter. He turned away walking over to a group of wooden buildings.

"Where's he going?" I asked Newt.

"To the homestead."

"Is that where the scream came from?"

"No more questions, Greenie, you can ask all the questions you want on your tour tomorrow. Like Alby would answer any of them though," I heard him mutter under his breath.

"You hungry at all?"

I thought for a moment, "Yeah. Considering that the contents of my stomach are now all over your shoes." I let out a laugh, it sounded weird, but in a good way.

"Slim it with that klunk won't you. A little disgusting don't you think?" I laughed before pausing for a moment and then letting out another laugh, louder than the one before, earning a quizzical look from Newt.

"Sorry, I've just never heard my own laugh before." The statement was so bizarre that it made me laugh for the third time but this time Newt joined in so I wasn't laughing alone.

"Alright, let's go to the Kitchen and grab some food." Newt put his hand on my back in a brotherly way. This thought nearly brought me to tears. _Did I have a brother? Did I have a boy where I came from that cared about me? _I shook the thoughts from my head and walked with Newt to the kitchen.

\- Page Break -

"Hey Frypan, this is Heather," he gave me a small nod, "Got anything good cooking for us tonight?" The cook "Frypan" had excessive amounts of curly black hair and a large waist, he couldn't be older than 16. The clothes he wore were covered in food stains and it looked like he was in desperate need of a shower.

"Nothing special, I'll give you the usual," he spoke with a higher voice than I expected for such a large man, "What does the girl want?"

"Um..." I trail off not knowing what I wanted.

"She'll just have the same thing as me." I smiled up a Newt gratefully.

Before long we both had a plate with a sandwich on it and a water bottle. I followed Newt to one of the tables in the corner where Gally and two other boys I didn't recognize sat.

"Hey Clint, Jeff," said Newt inclining his head at each of them as he said their names, "this is Heather." He leaned over to me and whispered, "they're the med-jacks." I gave him a quizzical look. "The doctors." I nodded and flashed them a quick smile before taking a large bite out of my sandwich. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I had begun to eat. I devoured the entire thing before looking up to see the four of them gaping at me.

"What?"

"Nothing, I've just never seen a girl eat so fast," replied Gally with a grin.

I kicked at him playfully from under the table. "I doubt you've ever seen a girl eat before."

He nodded, "Yeah, that's the weird part about you showing up. We've never gotten a girl from the box before."

"Oh well, Greenie, I guess you'll just have to get used to having a girl around, start acting more like gentlemen." As soon as the words had left my lips all of them tensed around me.

"Why'd you call me a Greenie?" The hostility in Gally's voice startled me.

"What?" I looked at them panicked. "I thought that was what people with green eyes were called."

Next to me, Newt began to crack up. Jeff and Clint nearly fell out of their seats they were laughing so hard. I felt my cheeks burning bright red from embarrassment.

Gally lifted his head off of the table wiping a tear from his crinkled eye. "You. didn't. actually. think. that. did. you?" he asked between laughs. I just stared at him blankly.

"A Greenie is the newest shank out of the box. You don't even have green eyes." The comment started another fit of laughter.

I elbowed Newt in the side and he looked up, "If my eyes aren't green then what color are they?" He leaned closer to my face to get a better look. I felt myself getting lost in his caramel brown eyes, I felt as though I'd seen them somewhere before.

"They're blue," he replied with a smile, "you have long blonde hair, and look about seventeen, maybe sixteen, not sure." He looked over at Gally for some kind of confirmation but Gally just shrugged and went back to his sandwich. I looked down at my hair, it was indeed blonde, slightly wavy and went down to the base of my rib cage.

I smiled at Newt. "Thanks." Letting out a loud yawn in the process.

"Alright let's go get your sleeping mat and I can show you where you're going to sleep," said Newt before standing up and walking out of the kitchen, I noticed that he walked with a slight limp but brushed the thought away. I waved goodbye to Gally before scampering out after Newt.

\- Page Break -

We had already grabbed a sleeping mat and a sleeping bag from the supplies that had come up with me in the box and were standing right outside the wooden buildings that Newt had called the "homestead" earlier.

"This is where you'll sleep I guess," he said motioning out to the grassy area where nearly forty other sleeping bags had already been set up.

"Let me get this straight, you want me to sleep outside with a bunch of guys that haven't seen a girl in who knows how long? You've got to be kidding me." I rolled my eyes at him.

He frowned. "Gally'll be out here and just tell me if anyone tries to do anything."

I rolled my eyes again as he missed my obvious point.

"Um, I mean, I guess you could sleep in my room and I could share with Alby if you wanted to."

I looked up at him as he scratched the back of his neck. "You'd do that for me?"

"Yeah," he replied with a smile, "the first night is always the worst, you'll probably wake everyone up with your screaming anyway."

A loud boom echoed across the Glade.

"What was that?" I asked him, startled.

He just pointed over at the walls. I let my mouth hang open in shock, the huge stone walls were sliding along the ground, shutting us in. Or keeping something out.

"They do that every night you know," he answered my unasked question with a shrug. "You get used to it, I guess."

I followed him up a flight of wooden steps and along a small hallway before he pushed open a door that lead to a small room.

"It's not much, but it's better than nothing I guess," he scratched the back of his neck, a motion that I'd come to realize meant he was embarrassed. "You can sleep on the mattress if you want, I'll take your sleeping bag to Alby's room."

I sat down on the mattress letting my feet dangle above the floor, "I'll be just down the hallway if you need anything alright Heather?"

I nodded. "Thanks, Newt."

I lay down on the mattress and closed my heavy eyelids, letting sleep overtake me.

\- Page Break -

There was a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes standing before me holding a limp boy in her arms. I couldn't remember who she was but I knew that I hated her. "He's going up and there's nothing you can do to stop it, you stupid girl," she said with a laugh showing her perfect white teeth. The boy was slumped in her arms, face toward the ground, but I could see that he was older, 17 maybe. The only feature I could see was a head of sweaty brown hair.

Panic was all I felt. He couldn't go. He couldn't leave me. I needed him. "Move girl, and let me send him up. You know it's for the best. We have to find the cure."

_The Cure._ It sounded so familiar but I couldn't remember.

"Move now!" She screamed at me. I looked around, I had to do something to stop her. There was a black elevator behind me and I knew what I had to do. I sprinted into the elevator smashing my fist into the blue button on the wall.

I heard the woman screaming through the walls of the box. White gas began to fill the box and I took one last look at the woman holding the limp boy. She let out a frustrated scream and then, noticing that I was watching, she grabbed a pocket knife off the table next to her. I watched wide eyes as she dragged the blade across his arm, leaving a trail of blood as she did.

"No!" I screamed pounding my fists against the glass. I had been trying to protect him, not get him hurt. The gas began to fill my lungs and take over my body. I began to slide down the glass doors, "No. No. No." my body began to shake as I sobbed. I looked back out the glass. The woman wore a malicious smile. Then everything was black.

\- Page Break -

I awoke in a cold sweat, tears streaming down my face as sobs racked my body. Someone opened the door and grabbed me from behind as I thrashed against them. "Let go of me. I won't let you hurt him! I need him!" The woman's face was all I could see as I squeezed my eyes shut. I pounded at the chest of the person holding me as a new pair of hands grabbed my legs and all I could see was a huge dark figure.

"Hey shhhhhh," I continued to thrash, "Heather, listen to me," the warm voice woke me from my daze and I sat still.

"That's better, now isn't it?" I felt myself relaxing into Newt's bare chest as he held me and I looked into Alby's dark brown eyes as he carefully released my legs.

I looked away from Alby and turned my face into Newt's chest, "I tried to save him, but as long as she has him he's not safe," I sobbed, knowing I was making no sense to him.

"Calm down, you're safe here." He sounded tired as he spoke, but those weren't the words I wanted to hear.

"I know I'm safe," the tears continued to roll off my cheeks, "but she still has him. She'll kill him." As soon as the words had left my lips I knew that they were true, there was no way I would ever see that boy again. I cried even harder my body shaking as I sobbed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alby's dark figure get up and leave the room.

"It was just a dream, it wasn't real." I looked back up at Newt. It felt so real though. Like I had been there; like I knew her and the boy that she held.

We stayed that for what seemed like forever until my sobs had turned into sniffles. "I'm going to go back to Alby's room now," I felt Newt's warm arms leave my waist.

"No! Please don't leave me," I begged as tears filled my eyes again, he made me feel safe and at the moment I was very weak.

"Ok, it's ok, I'm right here. I won't go anywhere," he said, wrapping his arms back around my waist with a tired sigh.

"Promise?" I asked, knowing I sounded like a scared child.

"Promise," he replied, as he stroked my hair and I relaxed into his chest. I hated that I felt weak around him but gave in to the feeling of comfort he provided almost at once.

Sleep quickly overtook me, but this time there were no nightmares and no dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

I awoke to a stirring beside me. I turned over to see the sleeping face of Newt next to me, one of his arms still draped over my waist. I felt a furious blush creep onto my face, I had never slept in the same bed as a boy before, at least from what I remembered I hadn't, but a strange sense of déjà vu crept over me. I slowly removed his arm and crept out of bed being sure not to wake him. I had kept him up all night, the least I could do was let him sleep in. I quickly opened the door and stepped out into the hallway only to be knocked straight onto my butt by Alby's firm chest.

He extended his hand down to help me up. "I was just about to come get you."

"Thanks." I flashed him a quick smile before taking his hand as he pulled me to my feet. I followed him outside the homestead and we walked towards the massive walls that surrounded The Glade.

"First rule and most important rule, Greenie, nobody, under any circumstance, is allowed out of these walls, unless you're a runner. Got it?"

I nodded before asking, "What's outside of the walls?"

"A giant maze."

"A maze?" The idea sounded so absurd it made me laugh out loud.

"What lives out there ain't nothing to laugh about, Greenie ," his voice was cold and hard as he spoke and it sent a chill down my spine.

"What lives out there?" My voice was a quiet whisper. He beckoned me towards a crack in the wall where he stood. I followed, staying close to him as he pointed to something through the crack. I heard the whirring of machinery and a clicking sound before I saw it. _It_ being the grotesque, bulbous creature, with metal spikes sticking out of it at odd angles that contracted and expanded as it moved along the corridor.

A glance was enough to understand that it wasn't a friendly beast.

"What was that thing?" I asked, not even trying to mask the fear in my voice.

"We call them Grievers. That's why you don't want to go outside the walls, got it? They mainly come out at night. Hence why you had to get up so early."

"Who made them? Do they ever come inside the wall? What happens if you do get stuck out at night?" the questions spilled from my mouth before I could stop them.

"We don't know who made them. They only come out at night and you _don't _get stuck outside the walls and live to tell about it, and if you do get stung by them," the word _stung_ makes a shiver go down my spine, "then you end up like the screaming boy from last night."

I felt the same coldness surround my body at his ominous words and remained quiet as I looked out the crack into the dark maze. A small red light flashed on in the maze and I pressed my eye against the crack to get a closer look. It was a small beetle with the letters _W.I.C.K.E.D. _smeared across its silver body in what looked like blood.

"Alby, what's that?" He put one eye against the crack.

"We call them beetle blades. It's how the shuck creators watch us."

His comment caught me off guard. "You mean we're being watched?" I asked in a furious whisper, now self-conscious that it could hear me.

"Yup, these things have been here ever since I arrived in the box."

I didn't understand how that answered my question but I didn't push any further. The sun had risen now and we began to walk back toward the center of the Glade.

"This is the Box," he said motioning to the black box that I had come out of the previous day, "Every week it comes up with supplies, and every month it comes up with a Newbie. This month that was you, Greenie."

"But who puts the food in? Who put me in it?"

"Slim it with the questions Greenie. We don't know squat about the box or where it comes from. We just accept the things they send us."

He turned around facing the Glade as he spoke again, "There are four sections of the Glade: the Gardens, the Blood House, the Homestead, and the Deadheads." As he spoke he pointed to a different section of the Glade. "The Gardens are where we grow all our food. Water gets pumped up from the ground so we can grow our crops. It never rains here, never. The Blood House is where we raise and slaughter the animals that we have. The Homestead isn't used for much during the day, mainly sleep and gatherings." He paused for a moment then turned away.

"You never said what the Deadhead was," I reminded him.

"Deadhead ain't much, Greenie. There's a graveyard in the back corner beyond those thick trees there. You can go there to sit and hang out or whatever." He cleared his throat clearly uncomfortable with the topic.

I began to feel uneasy. _Why did they need graveyard?_

We began to walk towards the section of land he had called the Gardens. "Every day for the next few days you'll be working under a different keeper performing a different job. When the trial period is up you'll be assigned a permanent job. Today you'll be working as a track-hoe." I nodded, even though I had no idea what a track-hoe was, I didn't want to interrupt him again. "That's Zart, he's The Keeper of the Gardens and will be overseeing your training today." He nodded over to a tall black haired boy with broad shoulders and a bored expression on his face.

"Zart, this is the Newbie, Heather."

"Welcome to the Gardens, Greenie. We'll put you straight to work."

He wasn't lying. I spent the next couple of hours pulling up weeds in the gardens. It wasn't a fun job, at the end of two hours I was hot, sweaty, and in desperate need of a shower.

"Hey Zart, can't we take a break?" I asked, sweat dripping off the end of my nose.

"Not yet, Greenie. You can take a break at noon, for lunch," he replied, with a scowl.

I let out a sigh before returning to the weeds. A blaring alarm sounded from the center of the glade. I crouched to the ground covering my ears, it sounded like a death siren. I looked up to see Zart with a confused expression on his face. All around me, Gladers were running towards the box. I dropped my hands from my ears and sprinted after them. They didn't seem panicked, just confused and curious.

I saw Newt in the crowd of boys and I grabbed his arm to get his attention. "Newt! What's going on? What does the alarm mean?" I yelled over the blaring noise.

"It means that a Newbie is coming up in the box," he yelled back.

"What?! I thought a Newbie only came up once every month," I replied, thinking back to Alby's tour.

The whirring of gears could be heard as the alarm suddenly shut off.

"Yeah, I thought that too."

\- Page Break -

The Box made it to the top with a loud clicking noise, signaling its arrival. Alby and Newt pulled open the chain doors and looked inside.

"What is that?" Newt asked, looking over at Alby.

"I don't know you shank, go in there and see."

I saw Newt's tall figure disappear into the Box. His head popped out of the Box and his eyes stared at me as he spoke, "there's a crate and it's got your bloody name on it."

I felt my head getting dizzy. _A crate with my name on it. Impossible._

"Bring it out," I commanded.

Alby jumped in and helped Newt pull the huge crate out.

I stepped forward to see it better. The crate was 7 feet long, 4 feet wide and 4 feet tall. I took another step closer, on it was a piece of paper with my name on it. I reached for it but someone caught my hand. I looked up to see Newt shaking his head at me.

"I wouldn't. The same people that sent you up sent whatever is in that box. It can't be good."

I looked at him and then thought for a second, "You said that bell meant a Newbie was coming up right?" he nodded at me. "Don't you think that a person could be in there." I saw his eyes widen.

I grabbed the note off the top of the box and read it.

_Heather,_

_You didn't stop me from sending him. His condition is your fault, you made me do this. I had no other choice. We have to find the Cure. There is nothing more important. I would recommend opening the box if you want to try to save him, but that is up to you. You already tried to save him once and did more harm than good, the second time could always be the same. If you decide to open it you are the only one who can face whatever is in there. If anyone tries to help, they will be killed._

At the bottom of the page was a single instruction.

_To open the box put your right thumb on the scanner._

My head began to swim with questions. _Who is him? Who sent him? Should I open the box?_

"What's on the note?" asked Newt from beside me. I shoved the note into his chest and I began to search along the crate for the scanner.

"Here." Newt gave Alby the note before turning to me. "Can't we at least discuss this before you do something stupid."

I could feel the anger bubbling up inside me. "She said I had to open the box if I wanted to save him. If I don't try whoever's in there is going to die."

Alby came up from behind us shaking his head, "It could just as likely be a trap as a way to bring you back down. The notes to vague we don't know anything for sure. We've never got a girl before what if they're trying to bring you back? What if you were a mistake?" I already knew his words were true but nonetheless they still did sting. There was no other reason I was the first girl, just a mistake. I couldn't move. Newt put a hand on my back turning me away from the box. Alby called out to the crowd of boys, "I need volunteers to help move the box. It is to be banished at sundown." As Newt and I started to walk I couldn't help feeling that we were making a horrible mistake. I tried to look over my shoulder at the box but Newt's strong grip kept me in place. I was furious with him for ignorantly following Alby's orders. There was nothing I wanted to do more than throw his arm from my shoulder but I waited, if I wanted to succeed I had to be calculating in my plan. I could see Ably talking to a group of boys twenty feet from the box, meaning it was unguarded, my only problem was Newt, but I had a plan. "Newt!" I let out a gasp as if I'd been hurt lacing both my hands on my stomach with my elbows out. He turned quickly with an expression of concern flooding his face, a feeling of guilt entered my stomach, but I ignored it and thrust my right elbow into his gut. Normally my strength would do nothing but with the opposing forces combining Newt fell to the ground gasping for breath. Before anyone knew what was happening I sprinted for the box, placing my hand on the scanner I had found earlier.

The crate collapsed on itself and the whole Glade watched in silence.

I let out a scream.

Inside was a boy around seventeen covered in blood and holding a knife in his hands. He didn't seem to notice that anything had changed about his surroundings, he just stared at the knife in his hands, mesmerized by the object, after a second of looking at it, he slowly ran the blade along his arm, drawing a line of blood behind it. Once he was done he looked up and smiled, then looking me straight in the eye he placed the knife halfway between his wrist and elbow the blade facing towards the palm of his hand. I let out a sharp gasp, that would be a fatal cut_. _

"Don't do it," my voice was thick with emotion, I recognized him, he was the boy from my dream, _but what was his name?_

I saw him begin to push down and blood began to form beneath the blade.

"Thomas." The name came out in a gasp. I saw his hand falter as our eyes met again, his smile faded.

"Don't do it, Thomas." I was trying my best to not break, I finally remembered something other than my name and the very person I remembered was about to kill himself.

He froze and his eyes glazed over. I'd seen that look before, somewhere else, he was being controlled. "Thomas, you've got to fight it, you can't let them control you." Again the blade faltered but he pushed it back against his arm.

"Thomas, give me the knife," I demanded, there was no response this time.

I tried again, "Thomas, give Heather the knife."

The mist left his eyes and for a brief moment, I saw brown eyes that I used to know. Memories began to fill my head but I pushed them away. They didn't matter right now, Thomas was all that mattered. He threw the knife five feet to his right and I let out a sigh until I saw the mist return.

I dove for the knife the same time as he did but I was quicker. I grabbed the blade of the knife only to be crushed by his body. I felt the blade cut open the palm of my hand as he ripped it from my grip. I let out a loud groan. He sat up on top of me placing the knife against my neck. I saw Newt and Gally running at him out of the corner of my eye, both from different directions behind us.

"Don't come any closer or I'll kill her," Thomas demanded not moving a muscle to see that they had been running at us. A beetle blade lay watching in the tall grass beside us. It was the creators who were controlling him. They stopped, watching helplessly from a distance.

I could feel the blood trickling down my throat as he pushed the blade down harder.

"Thomas don't do this." Every breath brought the blade farther down on my throat. "Thomas, it's Heather, you've got to fight it." I could see the inward struggle in his eyes, he didn't know who to believe, me or the person controlling him. I felt the knife fall into the grass beside me and his grip on me loosen.

It was all I needed. I lunged for the knife, grabbing it by the handle. I felt his body on top of mine again and I brought my elbow back to his face, causing him to roll back on the grass groaning. I pinned him face down to the grass pushing the blade against the back of his neck.

"You won't do it." The voice that came from him didn't sound human, like he was trying to keep the words from falling from his lips. The creators seemed to be challenging me, forcing me to choose the better of the two evils. _Kill him or be killed._

"You were never meant to be here. You're just a mistake. And we're going to kill you." The empty voice continued to taunt me quietly as he struggled beneath me. It was a message for my ears alone although everyone else already knew it. I saw it then, a flash of silver metal in his right bicep. I pinned the arm down on the ground with my knee and drove the knife into his arm digging the chip of metal out of his skin. It came out of his arm, embedded in a piece of skin and followed by large amounts of blood.

I felt his breath catch beneath me as he let out a loud groan, digging his head into the ground.

It was over. I had beaten the Creators.

I saw the beetle blade watching from only feet away. Looking straight at it, I imagined the blonde woman from my nightmare watching me. "You can't control me," my voice shook with rage. I felt the adrenaline leaving my body and I couldn't stand. I was weak and I hated it. The beetle blade scuttled away through the group of boys and I let myself roll off Thomas' back and into the soft grass.

Everything hurt, I let out a quiet groan similar to Thomas who was rolling around in pain. Newt knelt next to me in the grass as I lay there staring up at the sky as tears fell from my eyes. _What was this place? What had I done to be put here? Why didn't I belong?_

His strong arms wrapped around me as I sobbed into his chest. He didn't say anything just ran a rough hand through my blonde hair, stained red with blood. I could hear the med-jacks talking to Gally, who was standing above Newt, but I just buried my face further into Newt's chest. I didn't care that I needed medical attention, I just wanted to be held, to matter to someone, to not be a mistake.

\- Page Break -

I sat on a mattress in the homestead as Jeff finished the stitches that ran across the palm of my right hand. He wrapped the stitches in a torn cloth before turning to look up at my face. "How'd you know his name?"

The question caught me off guard. I looked down at Thomas who lay sleeping on the mattress that I sat on. They had washed the blood off his body before wrapping all the cuts on his arms in the same fabric that they had used on my hand. There weren't as many as I had initially thought only a few shallow ones on each arm. Clint was sitting next to him stitching up the gaping wound where the silver chip used to be in his arm. I looked at his face, he looked peaceful with his eyes closed and his curly brown hair resting neatly against his forehead. I brushed a stray piece back into place with my left hand. I felt a strange affection towards him.

"I don't really know how I knew it, I just… did I guess," I replied with a frown, finally answering his question.

He nodded, "You're good to go, just be careful with it. We're almost out of thread for the stitches, so don't open it again"

"Alright." I smiled at him, "and can you come and get me when he wakes up."

"Sure thing," he returned my smile, "you'll be the first one to know."

Just then Alby walked into the room followed by two frowning figures, each frown holding a different emotion behind the knitted brows. One was concern the other fear. I refused to look at either Gally or Newt but instead focused on the leader in the middle of the room.

"We have, due to the best interest of the Glade, decided to lock you in the slammer for the remainder of the day until 10 tomorrow for your rebellious actions." After a moment he added, "you won't be allowed any food or drink during your stay." I saw Newt's fearful expression twinge out of the corner of my eye. No doubt the extra food punishment had not been part of the initial plan.

I hardly cared, "alright." Alby's expression darkened, no doubt he had wanted to do worse for my disobedience.

"The boy will join you as soon as he wakes up or when the doors close whichever happens first." I almost laughed, he thought that would be a punishment? No, that would be company. Maybe I could remember more about this mysterious boy. "Gally will take you to the slammer." I nodded and followed the broad figure that had already turned to leave. As I was about to exit a dark hand caught my arm; brown eyes met blue. "If I were you I'd thank your little guardian angels profusely because if it weren't for them I would've shucking made you bugger meat." I made a mental note to thank Gally on the trip and Newt the next time I saw him.

\- page break -

I had been in the slammer for only a couple hours when I heard the gates begin to slide closed. I let out sigh of relief, company at last. The slammer wasn't much, it was a hollowed out dirt pit in the ground with a thatched hutch a few feet above and sharp sticks barred in front of the door. It was probably 5x5 ft. space I wouldn't be able to lie down fully stretched out instead I sat with my back against a dirt wall looking out the barred gates. Sure enough, Gally and Newt hauled Thomas into the slammer once the walls had closed, closely followed by Alby. Thomas was at least 6 ft. tall so they had to lay him at an obscure angle for him to fit. I didn't hold in my laughter this time and didn't care when Alby glared at me. They worked wordlessly before leaving in silence, Newt throwing a worried glance over his shoulder.

Before long it was dark out and I began to feel the lack of food on my already thin body. My stomach constantly growled and I shivered from the cold. I lay down next to Thomas, who was still unconscious, trying to steal some of his body heat from him. My brain began to wander as the sandman journeyed closer. I wasn't worthless after all. They cared enough about me to lock me away for the night, it wasn't the love I craved but it was a start. Then my brain quit for the night and I let Thomas' steady breathing lull me to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

I pressed my thumb to the scanner and watched as the box fell apart. There was a boy in the box covered in blood holding a knife in his hands and his blonde hair stained red with blood. I gasped, it was Newt running the knife along his arms.

Out of nowhere, Thomas tackled Newt to the ground, limbs tangling with each other as the boys fought on the ground. I watched as Newt pinned Thomas to the ground pressing the knife to his neck. I tried to scream but no noise came out, I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe. Blood splattered the grass as Newt slit Thomas' throat, his head rolled to the side as his vacant eyes found my own.

Newt looked up at me with a victorious smile on his lips. Then he pressed the blade against his wrist slitting it up to the inside of his elbow. He fell back onto Thomas' body, their blood intermingling and their faces empty of life. They were dead. It was only then that I began to scream. I screamed and thrashed but masked faces were grabbing my body pulling me away from them.

I opened my eyes to see the face of the boy who had just killed Thomas. "You!" I didn't have time to react before my body acted of its own accord. My knee found his groin and my foot kicked him square in the chest as he fell to the ground, letting out a groan as he rolled on the floor. I was still being held by someone else behind me.

"Let go," I managed through gritted teeth.

"No, Heather, calm down." I looked up to see Gally's green eyes and stopped struggling. He released me, "what happened?"

I ignored Gally's prodding as I knelt next to Newt who was still on the floor, "Why'd you kill Thomas?!" I screamed in anger.

He controlled his rage as he glared back at me with cold eyes. "He's lying right beside you," he said calmly.

My anger was hot as tears began to leak onto my cheeks. I looked down beside me and Thomas was indeed there. I frantically searched his neck for the scar I knew was there but couldn't find it.

"No, no, no," I muttered under my breath and ripped up Newt's sleeve searching for his scar. "It was just another dream?" I felt fat tears leak out of my eyes. "It felt so real, though." He pulled me into a tight hug, "I know. I know." He sat down and rocked me in his arms as I cried. How could he always be so strong and put together when I was not? It wasn't fair!

I felt Gally's fingertips brush over my golden locks, "I'm going to go keep watch," and he silently left.

I would never know why Gally and Newt had been there when I woke up in the slammer. Never know that they had both slept outside the door to protect me from a group of boys that already wanted me dead for endangering. That Thomas had woken up by my convulsions and yelled for help. That Gally and Newt had been the ones to be there for me when I needed someone the most. That Thomas was still awake, although pretending to be asleep, as he listened to me quietly cry in Newt's arms. Never know that Newt had silently laid me against Thomas' side so that I wouldn't be cold though the night. That Thomas had wrapped his arms around me so that I would feel safe as I slept. These were the things I never knew but they were for the better.

\- Page Break -

I was awoken by someone shaking my shoulders. Panicked, I opened my mouth to let out a scream. Gally's hand clamped over my mouth before whispering, "don't wake the whole Glade it's just me." I nodded and he removed his hand and stood back allowing me to sit up. As I did so I caught a pair of brown eyes staring at me from a corner of the slammer.

"Hey," I smiled down at Thomas.

"Who are you?" I felt my heart drop into the pit of my stomach, he couldn't remember any more than I could.

"You don't remember my name?" My disappointment was evident on my face.

"Wait it's um… uh…" he stuttered, obviously not wanting to upset me.

I gave him an encouraging smile, "It's Heather."

"Where am I, Heather?"

"This is the Glade," I motioned out the gate, "and we are currently in the slammer." I caught his quizzical expression and explained, "we're both in jail because we're horrible people." He didn't laugh at my joke just continued to ask questions.

"Why am I here? What happened to me? How did you save me?" I saw his eyes eager for answers. I opened my mouth to answer them, after all, it was only two days ago that I had come out of the box with the same questions, but I was interrupted by a deep voice.

"Close your mouth girl, you've already caused enough problems," Alby sauntered into the room, followed closely by Newt, who was frowning profusely, "you'll find out everything soon. Come on Heather, you've got work to do." He turned to leave the room.

"Now that I'm a criminal it only makes sense that I have community service work." I let out a sigh as a tight smile found it's way to his face and he nodded. I held up my right hand, still wrapped in the white cloth that covered the stitches. "Sorry, I can't doctor's orders." I wore a fake frown on my face.

"Fine." Alby glared at Thomas, no doubt because it was he who gave me the cut and kept me from his punishment. "You can train to be a runner today then, don't have to use your hands to do that." Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Newt tense at his words. "I have to take Greenie over here on the tour." I opened my mouth to complain, "Are his legs hurt, shank?" I shook my head. "Good that. Get up, Greenie."

Alby walked out the door, calling over his shoulder, "Be out of this room in thirty seconds or I'll throw you to the Grievers."

The word _Grievers_ sent a chill down my spine and I quickly hauled Thomas from the ground. When he reached the doorway, he threw me a concerned look over his shoulder.

"Don't ask any questions, and try not to make him angry. Alright? Trust me you don't want to get on his bad side." It was the best advice I could give him. I wish that someone had said that to me before I went on my tour. He gave me a small nod then turned to the stacked gate, hesitating. I patted him on the back, "Good luck, shank."

Newt was the last one in the box the worry evident in his eyes. The silence was thick and neither of us moved to break it. When I hopped out of the hole he bent down to lock the gate to the slammer. "Newt," his brown eyes flicked up to mine as his hands continued to do their job. I felt like I needed to apologize, to thank him, to say anything. Instead, I just turned and walked away. I felt his eyes boring into my skull. Weak, that's all I was. Weak.

\- Page Break -

Minho was a tall Asian boy with short cut black hair. He stood leaning against the wall as he waited for me.

"Finally," he let out an exasperated sigh as he extended a hand, "Minho, Keeper of the Runners."  
"Heather. Sorry, I'm late."

"Just don't make a habit of it, Greenie," he replied with a lopsided grin. He threw me a pack which I slung over my shoulders.

"Heather," I corrected him, "Thomas is the Greenie now."

He nodded, "Alright Heather, we're going to be running out in this shuck-maze today, so, uh, just try to keep up. Good that?"

"Good that." With that, he took off at a run into the maze with me following closely at his heels.

_Right. Left. Right. Right. Left._

I felt myself smiling as I kept track of the route we were running in my head, whilst cutting the vines hanging from the walls so we could find our way home. It felt good to run, to feel the breeze in my hair and the burn of my muscles. We would stop every so often and I would repeat the turns we had made to Minho as he drew them down on a piece of paper. We stopped as the maze walls began to thin out and we were standing in an open area with another tall wall surrounding it.

"This is the end of the maze," Minho said heaving large breaths of air into his lungs, "You tired?"

"I could keep going if we needed to," I replied honestly, I was fitter than I had thought.

He sat down, taking his pack from his shoulders and grabbing a sandwich and water bottle that he must have put in there. I sat down, fishing around in my pack until I found the same supplies. We ate in silence until Minho asked, "So, what made you late?" He asked trying to get a conversation started.

"Nothing." I looked away as I tried to hide my shame.

"Right, nothing." He let out a chuckle, causing me to send him a confused look. "You had to be doing something you don't want me to know about." I felt transparent. "Oh well. I know everything about this shuck place, I'll just ask someone when we get back."

"How come I never met you until today?" I asked, trying to change the course of the conversation

"'Cause of this shucked up job. You run, map, sleep, and repeat." He leaned back, running his fingers through his short hair.

"So if I became a runner I wouldn't have time to hang out with the other gladers?" My mind had wandered to my other friends in the Glade. I enjoyed running over all the other jobs that I had completed so far but if it meant being away from my friends I wasn't sure that it was the right choice.

"Depends on how fast you can run the maze. I just have to stay in the map room at night to try to find a way out, so that's why you haven't met me yet."

"You think the maze is the way out?" I asked.

"Why else would it be here?"

I shrugged, "Couldn't you make a ladder or something and just climb up that wall?"

He shook his head, "It's made of smooth granite, there's no way to climb it and no ladder we can make could ever be that tall. Plus, I doubt that half of the people in the Glade could make it this far before nightfall."

"I must be doing good then," I said with a light laugh.

"Yeah, you're doing pretty damn good for a Newbie."

"So you think I could be a runner?" I asked him, hopeful.

"Yeah definitely. When we get back I'll go straight to Alby and demand that he make you a runner immediately."

"I doubt that Alby will like to take orders from you," I retorted. Not mentioning the fact that he hated me.

"You scared of that pipsqueak? Ya freakin' Newbies gotta learn."

"I'm just trying to survive more than a week here," I replied with a laugh.

"Alright, well, in that case, we better head back." He stood up, flinging his pack over his shoulders and we took off.

We hadn't been running for more than thirty minutes when he froze in front of me and I smashed my face into his back. "Ouch," I said, rubbing my nose. He didn't say anything, just placed a finger to his lips and pointed upward with his other hand. The look on his face scared me and I immediately shut up.

I followed his finger upward to see a Griever clinging to the wall 75 feet above our heads. My eyes widened, I thought that Grievers only came out at night. It tried to scurry up the wall but its movements were awkward like it was hurt. Suddenly it fell from the cliff face. I let out a scream as Minho tackled me out of the way. He covered my body with his as the Griever hit the ground behind us, the force sending little bits of metal from its body. I scramble off the ground and then reached down to help Minho stand. He reached up, wincing as I pulled him to his feet.

"Let me see your back," I demanded.

"No, I'm fine."

"Minho." There was a warning tone in my voice.

He turned around in defeat and I lifted up his shirt. His back was very toned but that wasn't what I was focused on. There was a small piece of metal now embedded in his right shoulder.

"Ok, hold still. This is probably going to hurt." I grabbed the piece of metal and pulled, he let out a groan which became a loud yell as I pulled harder. I winced as I tried to use my injured hand more than I should've. The metal shard finally came out of his skin followed by a trail of blood. I placed my palm against the wound to try to stop the bleeding.

"Do you have medical tape in your pack?" He let out a groan and nod in response. I opened his pack with one hand and blindly searched for the medical tape. _There._ I pulled the roll from his pack and began to wrap the wound. Once I was done I stood back. I had wrapped the majority of his right shoulder, the tape winding around his back, across his chest, and then to his back again. He sat down breathing heavily.

"Don't go dying on me shank," I said with a smile.

"You can't get rid of me that easily," he tried to smile back but it was more of a grimace.

"So you think that things dead?" I asked, nodding toward the crumpled Griever.

"If it wasn't, then we would be dead," he replied. He stood up with a grunt, "We better be going, the walls are closing soon."

"How soon?" I asked him, suddenly worried.

"Shit." He muttered under his breath. "We got 15 minutes."

He reached down to grab his pack. "Leave it here. It'll only slow us down, we can come back tomorrow." He nodded and we took off at a sprint.

My legs ached with every step that I took and my lungs felt like they were on fire. I could hear Minho's heavy breathing from beside me as we continued to run. We had to be close now. I heard the boom that meant the walls were closing. I pushed myself harder, willing my legs to go faster. We only had 30 seconds before the walls closed and we were dead. Minho began to slow down.

"Come on!" I yelled through gritted teeth, not bothering to slow down myself. Another left turn. I saw it then, the maze walls slowly closing at the end of the passage. I could hear Minho's pounding footsteps close behind me as I threw myself into overdrive. I could hear the boys screaming for us to run faster from the other side of the wall. _Keep running, _I willed my legs as we got closer. The walls were almost shut.

"Come on!" Newt's voice echoed through my mind and I pushed myself harder than I thought possible. I flung myself through the walls turning in midair to grab Minho's shirt and pull him through with me; the walls closing only seconds behind us.

We lay sprawled out on the grass trying to catch our breaths. I heard Minho sit up slowly but I couldn't catch my breath. I felt myself hyperventilating and I squeezed my eyes shut.

"She can't breath!" I heard Minho scream from beside me.

I was flipped over on the grass and my arms pinned above my head. "Hold them here." I heard Clint's distinct voice order someone. My head was the tilted back and my mouth opened. "Deep breaths," Clint ordered. I complied heaving air into my empty lungs, finding that my airway had been opened again. After awhile I felt my breathing begin to even out and my heart rate begin to slow.

"I'm good," I said with a sigh, opening my eyes and standing up. There was a small group of boys standing in a semicircle around me but it was Minho who got my attention first. "Don't go dying on me, shank." He said it with one of his lopsided grin on his face.

I stuck out my tongue, "can't get rid of me that easily." Then turning to Clint, "You checked out Minho's shoulder yet?"

He shook his head and Minho gave me a glare.

Newt came over and gave me a quick squeeze, "I'm glad you're ok." After the awkwardness between us this morning it felt good to have my friend back.

"Thank you," I whispered into his ear. "I'm sorry." I pulled away and gave him an apologetic smile.

He just grinned at me, "all I wanted was an apology." He then wrapped his arm protectively around my shoulder still smiling.

"Would either of you slintheads like to tell me what the hell is going on." Alby's voice boomed across the Glade. I shook my head, I didn't trust my voice yet.

"We left our packs in there. Do something useful and get us some water." Minho winced as Clint unwrapped his bloody shoulder.

Alby kicked him in the leg, earning a glare from Clint, the action was too hard to be playful, "_What happened?_"

"I can barely talk shuck-face," Minho yelled, his voice raw, "Get us some water." Alby turned on his heel and ran back toward the homestead return minutes later with four water bottles. Minho tossed two to me, both of us chugging the first one. I was about to down the second one before Newt plucked it from my grasp. I made a move to grab it but he used his height to his advantage, holding the water over his head and well out of my reach. "Do you want to throw up on my shoes again?" I glared at him playfully before turning back to Alby.

"Now can you shanks tell me what's going on?" Alby's ominous voice boomed through the Glade.

"There's a dead one," Minho said with a grin.

"A dead what?"

I took a step forward.

"A dead Griever."


	4. Chapter 4

"You can't be serious." Alby stared at us like we were aliens. I just nodded. He turned to face the other Gladers, "No one is going into the maze tomorrow" He directed the command toward the runners, "There will be a meeting tomorrow night to discuss what is going to happen considering the circumstances."

I felt my eyebrows furrow, "No," My voice was bold as I spoke against him, it was something I had been wanting to do for awhile now. Newt squeezed my shoulder, giving me courage, "the meeting should be held tonight. That Griever body won't be there more than a day. I can promise you that the creators will have moved it by then. If we want to go see what we're up against we need to go look at it tomorrow." I could see Minho nodding in agreement out of the corner of my eye.

Alby narrowed his eyes at me and I could feel the bravery I had just felt flee my body. "Fine. Keepers, the meeting is tonight. Only Keepers are allowed to be there." He narrowed his eyes further at me and I returned his stare. I was going to be at that meeting. I opened my mouth to speak but I was cut off by another Glader.

"You're jacked if you don't let her go Alby." Minho was now standing beside me, "She's the one who got me out of the shuck maze." Alby glared at him.

He then motioned to Gally, "You can escort them to the meeting. Until then, I want them both locked up in the slammer."

"What?" Minho let his jaw drop when he heard the orders, "You've got to be joking you slinthead."

"Alby…" Newt began.

Alby shook his head, silencing his friend. "Take them to the slammer Gally. No visitors and they aren't allowed to talk to each other either. I don't want them to be able to compare stories."

Gally nodded and took a step forward. Minho edged toward me as he approached, obviously, the two had some sort of conflict in the past.

"Don't worry shuck-face. I'm not going to hurt her." He rolled his eyes as he spoke. I could barely see the smile he was trying to hide beneath his stony gaze. He bent down and I stepped away from Newt, hopping onto Gally's back. He turned to Minho. "Sorry shank, but I've only got room for one." He walked slowly to toward the Homestead with Minho trudging behind him. I could feel my eyelids drooping with each step he took and I placed my head against his back, letting sleep overtake my tired body.

\- Page Break -

I awoke to see a pair of green eyes which seemed to gleam in the dim light. "Meeting's about to start," Gally's deep voice rumbled through the small room.

"Huh?" I sat up rubbing my eyes.

"The Keeper's meeting, the one that you wanted to go to." I put my head back against the wall with a sigh. My muscles were so sore that I doubted I could stand. I closed my eyes again. I was so tired.

I heard Gally sigh before he scooped me up into his arms. I rested my head against his chest and slept once more.

\- Page Break -

"Heather." My eyelids fluttered open to a bright light and I winced letting out a small grunt.

The wall I was leaning against moved up and down as someone chuckled beside me. I glanced around to see a semi-circle of Gladers, the Keepers. I looked up to see that my face had been plastered to Newt's shoulder, "you have to get up. Alby has some questions to ask you."

I sat up slowly, noticing that I was wedged between him and Gally. "Ask away." I still felt the drag of sleep as I tried to force my body to stay awake. This meeting was more important than sleep.

"What happened to you out in the maze?" It was Alby who spoke as he stood in front of the semicircle.

"Well, Minho and I were running back from the outermost wall of the maze and there was a Griever climbing up the wall we were running under. It moved like it was hurt or something," I paused trying to remember more, "then it fell from the wall and Minho tackled me so I wasn't crushed, getting a piece of metal in his back in the process. The griever didn't move to attack us so we were pretty sure that it was dead. Then, I took the piece of griever out of Minho's back and wrapped the wound, by then we only had 15 minutes left and we sprinted back. I don't think I'd ever run that fast in my life." I leaned back against the wall, running my hands through my tangled, greasy blonde hair.

"Their stories match," Gally spoke from my right.

"And you're sure that the griever is dead?" asked a different Glader that I didn't recognize.

I nodded. "It didn't move or try to attack us after it fell. If it wasn't dead, then I'm positive we would be," I said, quoting Minho.

"Very well. I think we should go out into the maze tomorrow and look at that Griever's body. I'll go since I'm the leader and who wants to come with me?"

My hand shot up into the air at the same time as Minho's.

"Like bloody hell you are," Alby muttered, glaring at me. I dropped my hand but held my gaze in defiance.

"Alright, Minho. You and I will go out first thing tomorrow morning."

"Can't we make it noon? It's only a 45-minute jog to the place." Minho yawned, rubbing his face, his body was clearly feeling the same tiredness that mine was.

"Fine, meet me by the North-East gate at noon. Now go to bed you shanks." Everyone stood up, filing out of the room.

Newt grabbed my hand pulling my exhausted body off of the floor. He walked toward the Homestead with me trudged slowly behind him.

When we reached the homestead, I stopped to pee. I finally got a chance to look at myself in the bathroom mirror. My long, greasy, blonde hair hung in waves down my chest. I was in desperate need of a shower. I began to survey my body, I was tall but my arms and legs looked long and thin, from what I could see I had a runner's build. As I continued to examine myself, I lifted my shirt, turning my body to the side. I noticed an unusual amount of pudge around my abdomen. It wasn't much, just a tiny bump under my stomach, but there was definitely too much fat there for someone as thin as I was. _It's probably just the extra food you've been eating_, I told myself, shrugging it off with a frown.

I walked up the stairs towards Newt's room. I quietly creaked open the door and found him already asleep in his bed. I laid down next to him, careful not to wake him, not bothering to get under the covers. I let my aching muscles rest as I let a dreamless sleep consume me.

\- Page Break -

I sat up rubbing my eyes. I frowned as I noticed that Newt was no longer in the bed with me. I turned over on my side, wincing as I looked at the sun from the small window, _could it really be three already? _My muscles protested as I stood up and got out of bed. I felt nauseous as I walked down the steps of the Homestead. After I was out of the Homestead, I began to search the Glade for Newt. I found him and Thomas working in the gardens.

"Hey," Newt welcomed me with his British accent and trademark grin. He swung the pick he had been using over his shoulder.

"Thanks for waking me up."

"I couldn't help it. You just looked so peaceful." I stuck out my tongue and shoved him playfully with my shoulder. I couldn't explain why but I was comfortable around Newt. Thomas smiled up at us from the large pit they had been digging.

"So what am I supposed to do now?" I asked him.

"Well, I'm in charge until Alby gets back so I guess you can just have the day off to rest your muscles," he replied with a shrug.

"Are you sure? I can help." I didn't want any of the other gladers to think I was getting special treatment for

"Yeah I'm positive. You can go take a shower if you want. It's over there." He pointed to a small building in the Homestead which was connected to the bathrooms.

"Alright," I headed over to the building. The shower was a twenty-foot box with a shower head on each wall. There were no dividers for the showers so I peeked back outside to make sure that no one was going to shower as there was conveniently no lock on the door. I threw my towel beside the door before walking over to the shower head opposite it. I slowly peeled off my clothes, letting the cool water drench my naked body.

I looked down at my stomach with a frown, the tiny bit of pudge was still there. It wasn't visible through my shirt, I had checked to make sure this morning, but I was gaining weight none the less.

I began to feel nauseous again as I shampooed my hair. I felt a sharp pain in my stomach and bent over until I was on all fours on the floor, trying to make the pain stop. I heard laughing voices outside. I tried to stand up to grab my towel but the pain was crippling. I collapsed onto the floor getting violently ill.

I heard the door open behind me and Newt's voice called out, "Heather, you ok?" All I could manage in response was a groan. I heard whispers and then the splashing of feet behind me. "Oh god. Heather are you ok?" I tried to respond but instead, I got sick on the shower floor for the second time.

When I was done wretching, I felt a warm fuzzy towel wrap me up as I was scooped into Newt's arms. I shivered as he held me tightly to his chest the concern evident in his eyes. "Should I take you to the Medjacks?" I tried to open my mouth but I felt bile rise in my throat again so I turned away from him and vomited.

I felt him rise as I shivered, pressing my head to his chest. He walked towards the exit of the shower where Thomas was sitting.

"What took so long?"

"She's been throwing up for the past 20 minutes," Newt replied, "I'm going to take her to see Clint and Jeff."

"I'll grab her clothes."

With that Newt began to run over towards the Homestead, earning many strange looks from the fellow Gladers.

He gingerly set me down on one of the cots as Jeff walked over to us.

"What happened?" He asked, clearly bewildered by the fact that I was wearing nothing but a towel.

"She got really sick in the shower. She was bloody throwing up for 20 minutes! Did frypan serve some clunk?"

Jeff shook his head. "Nah. Otherwise, more shanks would be coming in here complaining." He turned to me, "How are you feeling now?"

"I feel fine." The wave of nausea had passed over and I was truly feeling much better.

Newt frowned, "but she was so sick earlier."

"It could just be from all the trauma she has experienced during the past few days. That can really do a toll on someone's body." Jeff reasoned. Newt nodded and just then Thomas burst through the door.

"I got them." He waved my clothes above his head, panting.

"Alright Heather, how about you put your clothes on then I'll just check your vitals just to make sure everything's ok."

"Alright," I said with a defeated sigh. I was fine and I didn't want to be poked and prodded with instruments. I knew it was just the stress that had made me so sick.

The boys piled out of the room so that I could change. I quickly pulled the clothes over my head and opened the door so the boys could get in.

"Why don't you just lay down on the cot again." I did as I was instructed and laid down on the lumpy bed.

"Tommy and I should probably get back to work. Is that ok?" I nodded my head. I didn't really want them to leave but I know that they had more important things to be doing than watching Jeff examine me.

He took my blood pressure, checked my heart rate, listened to my heart, and checked my reflexes.

"Mind if I take a look at your stomach." I shook my head, the faster he was done the better.

"How come it's raised compared to the rest of your body?"

I shrugged, "I think I've been eating a lot I guess."

He laughed. "Alright well just let me know if you are sick again. Other than that you're good to go.

I gave him a grin, "thanks!" I hopped out of my bed and walked back out into the sunshine.

\- Page Break -

I felt hunger gnawing at my body and I trudged to the kitchen. In the kitchen, I found Thomas, Gally, and Newt all eating. Next to Thomas was a young boy with curly brown hair that I had never seen before. He was the first one to notice me and looked up with a grin.

"Hey Heather," he said with a mouth full of food waving a pudgy hand at me.

I waved back before moving to sit in the open seat next to Newt and resting my head on his shoulder.

"Heather?" I looked up at him with my blue eyes, "feeling better?"

"Yep! Jeff fixed me right up."

"What happened?" Gally asked, his voice filled with concern.

"I just got a little sick early from being too stressed that's all," I said with a shrug.

I looked across the table to the small boy holding a roll in one of his pudgy hands.

"This is Chuck," said Thomas, speaking up for the boy. I smiled over at him before reaching over and grabbing the apple off of Gally's plate.

"Hey!" he glared over at me.

"I'm hungry," I replied looking up at him with puppy dog eyes. He huffed and turned away picking at the little bits of meat that littered his plate.

"I guess you really are feeling better."

I turned to Gally. "Are Alby and Minho back yet?" I asked, slightly missing the Asian's lopsided smile.

He shook his head a small frown forming on his face.

"Where are they?" Chuck questioned.

I opened my mouth to speak before quickly snapping it shut when I glanced down at the boy's young innocent face.

Gally was the one to break the silence that Chuck's question had created, "They went to go do some work in the maze. It wasn't anything important and I'm sure they'll be back soon."

While he was speaking Thomas' brown eye flashed to mine. I looked away, the confidence I had had the night before began to ebb away, being replaced by a sick feeling of doubt mixed with guilt.

I bit the inside of my cheek, "I'm going to go out and look for them." I stood up quickly pushing the table with my quick motion.

"Uh, no you're not." Newt grabbed my hand and pulled me back down, "Alby's orders: nobodies allowed to go inside the maze until they get back."

"What time do the doors close?" I knew it had to be soon, the sun was near the same spot it had been when Minho and I had sprinted through the barriers.

"eightish?" Gally replied. It was more a question than an answer.

I glanced at my wrist before realizing I had no watch. It had been a natural reflex so I knew I used to wear one before I was put in this place. However, the creators hadn't been kind enough to send me one of those either.

"Minho and Alby are the only one's that have clocks," Gally explained, "only two were ever sent up and they each came up on one of Alby's wrists the first time the box was sent up."

"Alby was the first person up here?" I swallowed loudly. It was enough of a nightmare to wake up in the Glade, but being alone in an unfamiliar place by yourself for a month would be living hell.

"As far as we know. There could've been others before him that didn't make it but as far as I'm concerned he was the first person to ever set foot in the glade."

I nodded my head. The respect I had for Alby just skyrocketed with that small fact. I should've shown him more respect, but I had a sickening feeling that it was too late for that.

Gally stood up when he was finished with his tale and the rest of us followed suit. We clomped out of the mess hall and everyone went their separate ways.

\- Page Break -

It was beginning to get dark and Minho and Alby still hadn't returned. The guilt was now eating away at me and I began to pace around the outskirts of the homestead to try to get my mind off of things. Someone grabbed my elbow from behind, startling me. I swore loudly as my heart pounded painfully in my ears. Thomas pulled me behind one of the barns that littered the Glade.

"We need to talk." I just looked up at him trying to calm my nerves. "How'd you know my name?" I froze. It had been a question that I'd been asking myself since the day I'd said it. After a moment of contemplating my answer, I just shrugged my shoulders. "So you don't know anything about me?"

"Not any more than you already know." He let out a sigh and ran his hand down his ragged face. I was debating telling him about my dream when shouts echoed across the glade. Thomas' head perked up at the sound, his eyes suddenly attend and ready.

I followed his gaze to a group of Gladers surrounding one of the entrances to the Glade. The guilt that had been gnawing away at me all day consumed me all at once. I sunk to the ground with my back against the barn, cursing under my breath.

"What's going on?" Thomas' eyes shone golden in the dusk light.

"Minho and Alby are stuck in the shuck maze and it's all my fault." I brought my fist down next to my hip, slamming it into the wooden wall behind me. Thomas began to walk towards the group at a brisk pace, forcing me to jog after him to keep up. He squinted his eyes to survey the scene as we neared, "Why is nobody helping them?"

"Only runners are allowed into the maze and, today, Ably set up a specific rule that only him and Minho could go inside," I explained between short breaths.

"No one's going to help them because of a dumb rule?!" Thomas exclaimed. "They could die."

"And it would be my fault."

Thomas pushed his way through the crowd of boys me following close at his heels. Most of the boys gave him plenty of space, nobody knew how to treat someone who had come to the Glade trying to kill himself. He took his place next to Newt who was yelling his face red at something in the maze. It was then that I saw it. A hunched over figure covered in sweat dragging another large dark figure through the maze. It was only then that I realized that the griever hadn't been dead; Alby was stung.

The boom echoed through the glade sounding like a death siren, the walls were closing. "They're not going to make it," whispered a barely audible Chuck. He was right, of course, no matter how much I tried to deny it.

"If someone doesn't shuckin' do something I'm going to go help them," Thomas whispered in my ear as Minho let out a cry.

"You'll kill yourself."

"I can't just let them die." I sucked in a breath. There were only a few seconds left and they would be sealed in. I could feel Thomas' bouncing on his toes next to me. If he ran I would too, I couldn't possibly let three people die on my account while I stood idle. Fifteen seconds and they would be trapped.

Thomas lunged forward hurling himself between the doors, Newt made a swipe at him but only caught air. I began to run only to be caught by one of Newt's strong arms.

"Stop!" He yelled frantically, I could see the panic in his eyes.

"Let go of me!"

"No!" Only moments and I would be trapped on the wrong sides of the walls, separated from Thomas.

"Let go of me!" I struggled against his grip but he didn't budge. "Let go of me! I hate you! Let go of me!" I thrashed as I screamed ignoring the pained look on his face that my words had caused, I knew it wasn't true but he had to let me go. "I hate you!" His grip faltered again as I saw tears swimming behind his eyes. I took a cheap shot, kicking his bad foot out from under him. He let out a cry as he fell but I was already gone, my feet pounding after Thomas. The walls squeezing around my small figure. Thomas had already made it through the rocks and turned around pulling me the remaining way through the walls, both of us spilling through the doors. Stuck in the maze. Again. I couldn't believe I'd done it. I pulled myself up as Minho's tired voice startled me back into reality, "You're the shuckiest shuck-faced shucks there ever was. You're as good as dead, just like us."

He was right, we were all going to die.


	5. Chapter 5

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Thomas mumbled as he walked toward the two figures. He stopped right above Alby's figure, "what happened to him?"

"Dumb shank got himself stung," I muttered under my breath.

Minho glanced up at me, "how long'd you know?"

"Since y'all left. I had a horrible feeling the moment you stepped foot in the maze. I couldn't let you die without trying to help. After all, it is my fault."

"Half." Minho corrected.

"Enough of my fault." We continued our bickering until Thomas stopped us.

"Slim it. Shouldn't we do something with him before the grievers come?"

The word sent a chill down my spine as I remember the horrific monsters that lived in my nightmares.

"What do you want us to do? Can't you see? We're trapped here. There's no way out. We're dead." Minho's voice was filled with despair, he had already given up.

"Couldn't we hide him in the vines?" Thomas asked. It was a good idea.

"There's no point. The vines aren't strong enough. We just need to run try to save ourselves."

"Minho." My voice was calmer than I expected, "you know how much of a slinthead Alby was to me but that's not how this works. We need to work together to survive so just help us."

He nodded, "Show me what to do."

Minho lead us to one of the walls covered in ivy. Thomas began to twist the vines into a thick rope which we wrapped around Alby's chest. Thomas then climbed up the wall to hook our rope around another vine while Minho and I began to hoist him up. Alby was heavier than I expected and it took us almost ten minutes to haul him halfway up the wall.

We worked quietly with the occasional grunt when the weight became too heavy. Minho kept checking over his shoulder for grievers. Paranoia was beginning to set in.

"Just a little higher." I tried to calm his nervous movements. Thomas had begun to secure Alby to the wall when the first griever approached. I could hear the whirring gears that signaled that it was coming. Minho was bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Come on Minho just a little longer." He didn't say anything just kept looking down the passage that held the griever.

"Come on Minho." The grotesque beast made its appearance.

"I can't." The bouncing of his feet increased, his voice was barely audible as if he had only been talking to himself. "I can't." He continued to mutter. Then he took off in the opposite direction of the griever. I slid forward unable to hold all of Alby's weight on my own and crashed into the stone wall. My ankle throbbed as I braced my feet on the wall using all my weight to kept Alby up.

"Hurry up!" I yelled to Thomas, my voice straining with the effort. The griever crept closer at an antagonizing slow pace.

"I'm done!" He hollered from up on the wall. "Run!"

I did just that. I ran towards the griever then took a sharp left checking over my shoulder to see if it was following my like I hoped. It wasn't. I turned around grabbing a heavy stone and finding my target. The griever was just below Thomas about scale the steep wall to get him. I threw the rock striking it in what looked like its head. It lurched around looking for what hit it. "Come get me hellhound!" I haulered over my shoulder as I ran down the passage. This time not bothering to see if it was following, my ears could tell me that indeed, it was.

I ran blindly through the maze using the dim light from the gray sky to show me different twists and turns within the maze. At one point I lost the griever resting my sore ankle against the cold stone heaving air into my empty lungs. The break was short lived when the whirring noise returned. I stood up and began to sprint away from the grotesque beast. I glanced over my shoulder to locate the griever. Suddenly, I was staring straight up at nothing, a throbbing pain in my head and a warm liquid trickling down my neck. "Shit," I heard someone mumble but my mind couldn't tell me who it was. I was pulled on top of someone's back resting my face in their black hair. The person was running but I wasn't sure why they were.

"Oh God what happened?" It was a different voice that spoke this time again I gazed vaguely up at the face from the ground.

"She ran into me and smacked her head pretty hard on the ground. I think she's got a concussion."

"You think. Heather." This boy had brown hair and I got the sense he was talking to me.

"Huh?" My voice sounded fuzzy and it hurt my head when I spoke.

"She's not too heavy. You think you can carry her?" The black haired guy spoke. I heard a sound like the whirring of gears wincing as the sound hurt my sensitive ears.

"No time. Hide her in the vines." I was hurriedly placed against a wall my vision shrouded by vines. The brown haired boy placed a finger to his lips. "We'll be right back. Stay safe Heather." With that, he was gone the whirring noise passed me as I lay and everything was quite. I fought hard to stay awake, something bad was going on. The whirring sound came back and I wasn't sure what to do. It stopped right in front of my hiding place. It struck out with one arm cutting all the vines from the wall and revealing me. I let out a shriek before standing on wobbly legs and running away from the monster. My vision began to swim before me and stars danced in front of my face. I didn't make it far before I crashed into another wall. My ankle throbbed as I collapsed to the ground in a heap. This impact seemed to clear my head just a little, enough that I was able to process and think about what was going on around me again.

The griever neared and my mind began to taunt me as it often did. I thought of the reason that I entered the maze. Thomas had done it as a hero, his act was a selfless act. He had no obligation to come into the maze. My act was one of cowardice, I had run into the maze because I couldn't live with my mistakes, with the pain and shame I had caused, couldn't live with the fact that I'd killed Minho, Alby, and Thomas. I could feel my eyelids drooping as the griever dipped and swayed through my dark vision, it seemed to slowly roll away. I knew it was a trick my mind was playing on me, trying to make me believe I had more time to live, when, in fact, I was already dead. This thought sickened me, not the fact that I was going to die, but the fact that I was going to die a hero. I wasn't a hero, I was a coward and no one would know. I would die with Newt thinking I hated him. This thought made my stomach churn and I quietly began to cry. I could hear the whirring of the griever's gears as I waited for the final blow. The clicking came closer, _goodbye Heather, _my own conscious seemed to mock me in my last few seconds. I squeezed my eyes closed, bracing myself for the impact. Everything was black.


	6. Chapter 6

The gladers all lay around the door that the four people had disappeared into, waiting for the walls to open so the could see what had become of their friends. Newt was the only one who wasn't sleeping by the gate. He lay in his cot fists clenching and unclenching. He didn't know what he would do if they didn't come back. Alby had always told him he was a natural born leader but he had no idea how to lead a pack of unruly teens. He thought back to Thomas and Heather's escape. If only he'd reached a little farther, held on a little tighter. Newt knew it wasn't his fault, Heather had taken a cheap shot when she kicked out his foot. He thought back to her words, "let go of me. _I hate you."_ He hurled his pillow across the room. He had been nothing but nice to her, he cared about her so much, he thought they had had a connection, but she said she hated him. She killed herself by running into the shuck maze. It wasn't fair! He didn't want to be the leader, he didn't know how. He didn't want Heather to die but she had made that choice for herself. It wasn't fair. He leaned his head back against the hard mattress closing his eyes. It didn't matter if he made it through the night, he would elect Gally the new leader. He had found a way out once and tomorrow life had no meaning without his close friends. He would cheat, just like Heather had. He already had the wall he would jump from picked out by the time he fell asleep.

-page break-

Everyone was already up, waiting in nervous anticipation for the doors to open. Chuck had been the first one to be up. He and Thomas had grown close in the short time he had been in the Glade. The doors creaked open and the whole Glade held it's breath. Empty. The maze was empty. Chuck felt a heavy weight settle on his chest. The leader, the keeper of the runners, the only girl, and his first friend: all dead. He turned away, he never wanted to see the stupid maze again.

"Hey look!" His head snapped back immediately to see two figures slowly making their way towards the entrance. Their posture was hunched as if they were going to collapse dead at any minute. A group of boys ran out into the maze, meeting them halfway.

"The others," Thomas said through a ragged breath. Gally handed them each a water bottle which he had taken in case someone survived. "Follow me." He hadn't even stepped foot out of the maze before he turned back around, entering the belly of the beast. They first found Alby hanging up in the vines four boys brought him down and carried him back from the maze to get the treatment for being stung while Thomas, Minho and the remaining gladers continued through the maze. When they reached the wall everyone stopped. No one dared breathe. The vines didn't touch the ground. Right below the longest vine was a sharp gash in the rock obviously made by something sharp and metal. A griever claw. Below the gash the wall was stained with blood.

"No." The words left Thomas' lips in an unbelieving whisper. "God" he slammed his fist into the wall behind him letting the blood from his split knuckles drip down his hand. He sank down the wall putting his head in his hands and began to cry. The maze had beaten him both mentally and physically. He felt as if he couldn't move. The maze had taken the only person he knew from his past away from him. Minho returned from his hunt and shook his head, his eyes downcast, the only other place she could go was a dead end a wall fifteen feet up that she wouldn't have been able to climb in her condition. With her concussion, she wouldn't have been able to go any farther and they would've already found her if she ran the other way. Gally heaved Thomas onto his shoulders and began to carry him back to camp. It was evident to them that Heather was dead. Slain by a griever, her delicate body completely destroyed.

\- Page Break -

At the same time that all the boys were waiting for the doors to open, Newt was waiting by another door. As he waited he thought back to the note that he had left on his neatly made bed. It was a suicide note, announcing that he had made Gally leader, nothing else. He took off into the maze at a slow run due to his limp. Every step jarred his leg, reminding him of what he was about to do, but he didn't care. Life wasn't worth living anymore. He continued to run until he found the wall he was looking for. It was the same wall he had tried to jump from the first time. _This time you'll do me better, _he thought. He began to scale the wall using the vines to make up for his weak leg. I need to go higher this time so I'll actually die and be free from this place. He reached the highest he could climb before turning around and surveying below him. It was a very far way down. He could feel his throat constricting. Don't think, just do, let go. His roaming eyes locked onto an unusually pale object laying in a heap on the rocks below. _It's your mind playing tricks on you, _he told himself. But what if someone had survived a night in the maze, what if they were hurt and needed help? He thought back to everyone who had been sealed out the previous night none of the would've left him behind. Heather maybe because she said she hated him, but then again she had a soft heart. _Just do it. I can't. Jump. Help them. _His mind was warring with itself inside his head. Eventually, he began to climb back down the wall to see what the white blob was. As he came closer to the ground he saw long blonde hair stained with blood. "Oh god," he muttered to himself. When he reached the ground he looked down at the fragile girl. Her left ankle was purple and swollen and there was a deep gash on the back of her head. She was sickly pale and when he checked her pulse it was dangerously slow. He pulled her from the ground and into his strong arms. He walked toward the exit but stopped the only way out was fifteen feet of sheer cliff surface down. _What to do now. _He gnawed at his lower lip. Then, walking to the edge of the cliff, he tied vines around her ankles and slowly lowered her half way down the wall, leaving her dangling there as he made his descent. When he reached the ground, he quickly untied the vines and scooped her back into his arms turning away from his wall and back toward the glade. He only hoped that no one had found his note.

\- Page break -

As he neared the Glade the girl began to stir in his arms. He continued to walk until her eyelids fluttered open revealing beautiful blue irises. "Newt." She quietly murmured as her eyes adjusted to the light. Everything hurt and she couldn't move anything but her jaw which was still stiff. "I'm so sorry."

He quickly shushed her.

"No, no, I am. I don't hate you. I promise." Her voice was tight. She squeezed her eyes shut as she began to quietly cry. Her fragile body shaking in his strong arms. "I don't hate you. I hate myself for being so weak around you. I hate myself for being such a coward. I couldn't live knowing that their deaths were my fault." He nodded. He understood completely, he would've felt the same way. "But I don't really hate you I swear I don't."

"Alright, I believe you." She knew he didn't really believe her so she continued to cry. It was awkward for him because he was in no position to comfort the weeping girl so he just kept walking as she cried.

"Newt, I'm so scared." She looked up at him with fearful eyes, her body beginning to shake. "Shh, it's ok I got you." She clung to him as if her life depended on it. He sat down again the rock wall and began to rock her shaking body. Her crying stopped and her eyes closing as she fell back asleep. Newt looked down at the limp girl in his arm, tears still wet on her face, she really was beautiful, although he would never admit it. He couldn't help but feel as though they had sat like this before, him holding her while she wept, and he had the stance desire to kiss her forehead. He stood up, careful not to jar her, and began to walk back to the Glade. When he was in sight of The Glade, a guard posted at the entrance spotted him. He began to holler into the glade. "It's Heather! Someone get Clint and Jeff right now!"

A brown haired boy sat under a tree his head in his hands. When he heard Heather's name he immediately perked up. His eyes strained in the direction that the shouting was coming from. "She needs help!" He saw it then, a tall strong figure carrying a much frailer one in his arms. He sprung to his feet but stopped as the boy stepped into the Glade. He could've sworn he saw Newt glowing, he blinked once and it was gone. Heather's guardian angel had saved her once again.

\- Author Note-

Hey guys, sorry it took so long. I've not updated for over 2 years (Oopsies). Here is my rewritten version of The Creator's Mistake. Only Chapter 1 has a title. If you think of any good names for the chapters hmu in the comments section. Also, if anyone had previously read this fanfiction, let me know if you like this one better. Next update in a week!

Thanks,

H


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